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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

What was I tellin' ya! The recent signing of Brian Wilson has infuriated Giants fans. So much so, in fact, that they have collectively gotten onto twitter to express their dismay. And I couldn't be any more thankful for their public display.

As the title of this blog post suggest, Giants fans cannot spell! Really, they all need to go back to 3rd grade English. Check out the below twitter post as evidence.

I never thought I would write these words - "Welcome to the Blue, Brian Wilson!"

Maybe if I was honoring the Beach Boys frontman I'd write that, but to write it about the bearded annoyance from the bay is a little unsettling. On the other hand, this recent move is sure to piss off Giants fans, so why the heck not, right?

This afternoon, Dodger nation received word that former All-Star reliever Brian Wilson chose the Dodgers. Via a tweet from Tim Brown:

Brian Wilson has chosen to sign with Dodgers, according to source. Had three offers. Will start in minors.
— Tim Brown (@TBrownYahoo) July 30, 2013

Tentative plan with Brian Wilson is to begin return at Dodgers complex in Arizona. Then to Rancho Cucamonga. Report to Dodgers in 2 weeks.
— Tim Brown (@TBrownYahoo) July 30, 2013

So, Wilson will get some work in the minors before eventually joining the Dodgers. Overall, I can't be too disappointed in this move. We get a former top-line closer who is thought to be ready after going through major arm problems, and in exchange it cost us a little bit of dough. At this time, details of a contract have yet to be released, but I'd be surprised if it was substantial.

BTW, I decided to make a fantasy Dodger card of Brian Wilson that you can see at the very top of this post. I used a 2007 Topps Baseball card design.

Wilson, 31, has gone 20-20 with 171 saves in 315 career games with the Giants from 2006-12. The New Hampshire native has limited opposing hitters to a .238 batting average during the course of his career with 340 strikeouts in 320.0 innings. Wilson has also historically been a second-half pitcher with a 2.69 ERA in 149 career appearances after the All-Star break and pitched well in the postseason during the Giants’ 2010 World Series run, striking out 16 in 11.2 scoreless innings in postseason play.

From 2008-2011, Wilson was one of the Majors’ top relievers, earning three All-Star selections (2008, 2010, 2011) and leading the big leagues with 163 saves in 186 opportunities (87.6%). During that period, Wilson also ranked among the NL’s best relievers in wins (17, T-6th), innings pitched (264.1, 6th) and strikeouts per 9.0 innings (10.11, 12th). In 2010, Wilson tied the Giants all-time single-season saves record with 48 (also: Rod Beck, 1993), while successfully converting 24 consecutive save opportunities in 2008, which tied for the second-longest save streak in San Francisco history.

Wilson last pitched in the Majors on April 12, 2012 and underwent Tommy John surgery later that month on his right elbow.

Wilson was originally selected by the Giants in the 24th round of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft out of Louisiana State University.

In one of the more anticipated match-ups of the year, the Yankees come to town to face the Dodgers in a series that is sure to invoke historic memories. I'll be going to the game, courtesy of Barry's Tickets, and will sit in one of my favorite spots - the Top Deck. Sure, I won't anywhere near the field, but you can see everything from up there. Besides, the fans are better in the cheap seats. BTW, Barry's Tickets recently became an sponsor of this blog, so I wanted to give them a Shout Out - "You Feelin' Me!"

Per a Dodger press release:

The Dodgers take on the Yankees for the second time this season as Los Angeles played its first-ever regular season road games against the New York Yankees in a two-game series in the Bronx from June 18-19. The Dodgers have split their eight regular-season meetings with New York. The clubs have met 66 times in the postseason with New York holding a 37-29 advantage and the 11 World Series meetings between the Dodgers and Yankees is the most common Fall Classic matchup and ranks second in all-time meetings for a championship title among the four major pro sports.

The Dodger will honor Mariano Rivera prior to tonights game. Auto and stadium gates open early at 5:10 p.m. Comedian Ken Jeong, best known as “Mr. Chow” in the Hangover trilogy, will read the Dodgers’ starting lineup.

(The) Veteran of the Game is U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Patti Taylor of Cranesville, NY. Taylor enlisted in 1964, was trained in Combat Medicine and served in numerous army installations throughout the country. She was deployed to Vietnam and served in support of Operation Desert Storm/Shield, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Taylor is currently a volunteer nurse for Operation Mend at UCLA where wounded service members are brought for reconstructive and functional surgeries due to injuries sustained while deployed. Taylor’s accolades include two Army Achievement Medals and the Army Commendation Medal.

Wednesday's game with the Yankees with feature Clayton Kershaw versus Hiroki Kuroda. Like yesterday, auto and stadium gates open early at 5:10 p.m.Samuel L. Jackson will read the Dodgers’ starting lineup.

Wednesday’s Veteran of the Game is U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Patryck Stanwood of West Hills. Stanwood enlisted in 2005 and has served at Camp Pendleton, CA and Kaneohe, HI and was deployed to Afghanistan, Kuwait, Jordan and Australia. He was trained as an Embarkation Chief, was recently honorably discharged from the Marine Corps and is now pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Business Management at Cal State Northridge. Stanwood’s accolades include the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the NATO Medal – ISAF Afghanistan.

I thought I would pass along some information on some new MLB/Dodger art lithographs available for sale. RareInk.com recently signed both a MLB and MLBPA licensing agreements for their MLB Collection, and you can go here to check out what they have.

There are more than 500 different works available from every Major League team. They even include artwork of several Hall of Famers; such as Don Sutton and Duke Snider (although I do not see Snider on the website).

“RareInk is reinventing sports wall décor by offering an enormous collection of cutting-edge art in styles typically not seen by fans,” said Tim Muret, CEO of RareInk. “Today’s fan is looking for something uniquely artistic for their walls to capture their passion for baseball and RareInk delivers the game like it has never been seen before.”

Prices are steep, but look great.

Each RareInk piece of art is produced using fine art, archival materials and is offered in three executions: fine art paper prints ($79 to $129); stretched canvases ($129 to $349); and metal prints on brushed aluminum ($399 to $419). Every piece is a hand-numbered, limited-edition, with edition sizes ranging from 50 to 250. The artwork is available for sale exclusively at RareInk.com.

Along with photo based art they will have original works from established artist. Check out the minimalist drawing of Dodger Stadium below by UK artist Marcus Reed.

Legendary Auctions is currently running their annual live auction that coincides with the National Sports Collectors Convention. Live bidding will happen this coming Friday. Only 100 items are for sale and it includes the below Jackie Robinson memento.

On September 23, 1947 the Dodgers held "Jackie Robinson Day" at Ebbets Field to celebrate Jackie's breaking of the color barrier that season. Just a couple of weeks prior, Jackie was named the National League's Rookie of the Year. Per the auction description:

But perhaps the greatest moment in the sun came on September 23rd,
as Ebbets Field held a fan-organized "Jackie Robinson Day" in which the
barrier-breaker received such gifts as a brand-new Cadillac, a giant
television set, a portable radio, a gold pen-and-pencil set, cutlery,
silverware, an electric broiler and, yes, this very watch here offered.
"I thank you all," Robinson told the crowd of more than 26,000. However,
it was another pioneering civil-rights figure named Robinson—the dancer
Bill "Bojangles" Robinson—whose famous words at the event still
resonate to this day. "I am sixty-nine years old," Mr. Bojangles said,
"but I never thought I would live to see the day when I would stand face
to face with Ty Cobb in Technicolor."

On auction is the watch that was presented to him that afternoon. See a couple of photos below.

Clayton Kershaw was on the Jimmy Kimmel show last night and was spectacular. Who knows, maybe he has a future in television when his Baseball career is done. In the above photo tweeted by his wife Ellen you see Clayton waiting patiently in the green room. Then, Clayton tweeted the below photo of him playing ping pong against NPH (who was also a guest on the show). BTW, Kershaw mentioned a charitable ping pong tournament he'll be hosting at Dodger Stadium on August 29th. As soon as I get information I will pass that along. BTW, you can watch Clayton's entire interview with Kimmel at the very bottom of this blog post.

There is no word on who won the ping pong match-up featured below.

David Wharton at the LA Times writes, "Old baseball scout tells of when play, not money, was the thing: George Genovese, 91, still a consultant to the Dodgers, made $80 a month in 1940 in his first job with a pro baseball team." This is a must read!

There’s more energy, but I think we have to give Yasiel [Puig] a lot of
credit, because he brought a lot of energy. It’s always good to have a
mixture of young and old. You get too many old guys, guys who are
settled, they’re in the big leagues, nothing makes them excited. This
kid’s exciting. The way he plays is infectious and, if you don’t like
the way he plays and the reaction from people … man, that’s the way
you’re supposed to play. You’re supposed to play like a little kid.

Dodgers president and part owner Stan Kasten joined Max Kellerman and
Marcellus Wiley on ESPNLA 710 on Monday to talk about the organization's
gutsy move in taking a chance on Yasiel Puig, the Matt Kemp trade
rumors, the atmosphere at Dodger Stadium and leading the league in
attendance.

If everything goes according to
plan, the iconic baseball park will look, feel and react like a soccer
field."This is our first time," said Eric Hansen, the head groundskeeper
at Dodger Stadium, "so this is going to be a learning process for
us."Dodgers president Stan Kasten said Dodger Stadium was first
discussed as a host site for the tournament earlier this year. Hansen --
who's a baseball guy, not a soccer guy -- said his first order of
business was to consult with grounds crews at Petco Park in San Diego
and Oakland Coliseum, home of the A's. Both stadiums have hosted soccer
games in the last three years.

TMZ is stalking Yasiel Puig. This time they corner him at a Cuban restaurant in Hollywood.